tragic

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/^[1]

Etymology

It is a shortening of earlier tragical (1489, Caxton),^[2][3] modelled on Latin tragicus (“of tragedy”) and partly through French tragique,^[3][2][4] from Greek τραγικός (tragikós, “of tragedy; literally of a goat”),^[3][2][5] from trágos, he-goat, perhaps referring to a satyr played by a goat-singer, and associated with tragōidía, tragedy.^[3][2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Calamitous, disastrous, fatal, resembling the conclusion of a stage tragedy: 1545 (the 1540s).^[2][6][3] MWU dates it to the 15th century.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Of or pertaining to tragedy as drama is from 1563 (the 1560s),^[6][3] and expressing fatal or dreadful events from 1593.^[6] Befitting the style of tragedy is from 1684.^[6] Tragic flaw, translating Greek hamartia, is from 1913.^[3][6]

Timeline

• 1489 – tragical.^[2]
• 1545 – calamitous.^[2]
• 1563 – of drama.^[6]
• 1913 – tragic flaw.^[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Causing great sadness, involving death or disaster: a tragic accident.
2. Of or relating to tragedy as a form of drama.
3. Mournful or pitiable.

Word family

• tragically
• tragicalness
• nontragic
• supertragic
• untragic
• tragic flaw

Related words

• tragicomic
• tragical
• tragedy
• tragicomedy

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press